3rd - 5th July
Settled still with
generally light winds, plenty of sunshine and continuingly dry conditions –
many lochs have or are in danger of drying up!
A good selection of waders on the 3rd included 45 Purple Sandpipers (the first returning birds arriving en masse), 87 Golden
Plover, 37 Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 42 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel
and 80 Redshank.
Other
birds included a Sandwich Tern, a Collared Dove, a single Swift over the Obs
and a couple of Chiffchaffs still in Holland.
Also of note was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth seen on The Links associated
with a little arrival of Butterflies including 14+ Painted Ladies and 11 Large
Whites.
A
seawatch in the afternoon of the 4th produced the first Sooty Shearwater of the year along with 7 Manx Shearwaters, a Storm Petrel and
475 Puffins in an hour and a half.
Other little bits included 2 Sandwich Terns, the Heron still, a
returning flock of 7 Wigeon on Ancum and the first Fulmar chicks starting to
hatch.
A
Spotted Flycatcher was an unusual July record in Holland while the female
Garganey was seen again on Brides (but again, no chicks were seen) and two male
Ruff on the rapidly disappearing Gretchen were the first returning individuals.
Purple Sandpipers
Our moth trap is slowly improving as we move into July and included this fine male Ghost Moth
Comments